Dallas Lynn Peck

Dr. Dallas Peck graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 1951, and received his doctorate from Harvard in 1960. He spent his entire professional career with USGS, starting as a field assistant in 1951. Prior to being sworn in as Director, Dr. Peck was a research geologist at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and made extensive petrologic studies in the Sierra Nevada. He also served as USGS Chief Geologist. 

In January 1982, Secretary of the Interior James Watt announced the formation of the Minerals Management Service. The Conservation Division and part of the marine geology program—some 23 percent of the personnel and 29 percent of the operating budget of the USGS—were reassigned to the new agency, and the USGS reverted to its initial responsibilities to classify the public lands, and examine the geologic structure, mineral resources, and products of the national domain as they had developed in the years since 1879. These were organized into three major programs: the evaluation of the Nation's geologic structure and the geologic processes that have shaped it, the assessment of its mineral and energy resources, and the identification and investigation of geologic hazards; the conduct of the National Mapping Program, involving the collection of cartographic, geographic, and remotely sensed data and production of maps and related cartographic information in graphic and digital form; and the provision of the hydrologic information and understanding needed by others to achieve the best use and management of the Nation's water resources.